How does employer support and educational background effect an Ergonomics Practitioner’s awareness of the relationship between ergonomics and psychosocial hazard control?

There is a growning need to address psychological health and safety in the workplace. Ergonomics tends to be widely recognized for its physical applications, such as ¨office¨ and ¨manual materials handling¨ however the other domains of specialization of ergonomics (cognitive and organizational) appear to be less well known. This study evaluates the level of understanding that professionals who practice ergonomics have of the relation between ergonomics and the control of psychosocial hazards in the workplace. A survey was distributed to ergonomics practitioners and asked them about their awareness of the relation between ergonomics and workplace psychosocial hazard control. Ergonomists and human factors specialists demonstrated a greater awareness of this relationship than other allied occupational groups that also practice ergonomics, however they indicated that there may be difficulties in the “real world” applying these areas of knowledge into practice. Participants who demonstrated a high level of awareness of the relation between ergonomics and psychosocial hazard control demonstrated stronger organizational commitment than participants with a low awareness. Ergonomics practitioners who reported having employer support for professional development also demonstrated a higher degree of awareness of the relation between ergonomics and psychosocial hazard control, as did the professionals who had been practicing in the field the longest. This research provides some insight for professional associations for Ergonomists, employers of Ergonomists, and human resource professionals about how ergonomics practitioners perceive the ergonomics field and the profession as well as their employing organization

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Regulating for change? Influencing business contributions to peacebuilding

Those actors that attempt to influence business approaches to social responsibility are typically concerned with preventing businesses from causing harm or holding businesses accountable for harmful activities when they occur. In post-conflict settings, these twin aims are particularly important given the innumerable instances of businesses undermining transitions from conflict to peace through harmful practices. However, businesses can also be positive agents of change. As an emerging discourse on business and peacebuilding is suggesting, businesses can contribute positively to transitions from conflict to peace in a range of ways. But can other actors influence businesses to engage in peacebuilding processes? Can they require, induce and persuade positive business-based contributions to peacebuilding? If so, how? Examining two case studies on Northern Ireland and South Africa, I will argue that different actors can influence businesses to act as peacebuilding agents. I use the findings from these case studies to consider opportunities for thinking about a global policy instrument on business and peacebuilding

Non-Black Students\u27 Perceptions of Diversity and Inclusion at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand diversity and inclusion through the experiences of non-Black students attending a historically Black college and university (HBCU). Diversity referred to the integration of various racial and ethnic groups, and inclusion referred to conditions on campus that reflect practices and relationships that produce a feeling of being valued, respected, and supported by the institution and peers. The theory used in this study was Tinto\u27s theory of integration, as it examined the existential experiences of students who integrate into an HBCU campus. This study\u27s central research question asked: What are the integration experiences of non-Black students engaging in diversity and inclusion on campuses of HBCUs? This study implemented qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology. The participant pool consisted of 14 undergraduate students attending an HBCU in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Criterion sampling was used to create the participant pool. Data was collected using individual interviews, a focus group interview, and protocol writing. Data analysis in this study utilized Saldaña\u27s two-cycle coding. During data analysis, six major themes emerged that answered the central research question: academic integration, social integration, coping strategy, diversity barriers, influences on college decisions, and opportunities

Racial Battle Fatigue Among Latinx and Black Community College Students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Disciplines: A Quantitative Perspective

The role of community colleges as open-access institutions that bring racial diversity to careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is essential (Musante, 2012; Reyes, 2011). Yet, the opportunity to attend postsecondary institutions is not enough to guarantee the success of People of Color as they navigate hostile academic environments (Franklin, 2016). Community colleges must be willing to ensure that students are welcomed in their classes and that they are promoting positive academic environments that are sensitive to racially marginalized and stigmatized groups. The influence on racially marginalized and stigmatized groups is underscored by findings in the literature on how hostile academic environments have led to “alienation, dissatisfaction, academic disidentification, disengagement, and blocked academic aspirations” (Smith, Allen, & Danley, 2007, p. 552). Smith (2004), a professor at the University of Utah, coined the term racial battle fatigue (RBF) to describe three major stress responses (physiological, psychological, and behavioral) from the accumulation of racial microaggressions and the energy expended on coping with and fighting against it (Yosso, Smith, Ceja, & Solózano, 2009). Microaggressions are everyday subtle or ambiguous racially related insults, slights, mistreatments, or invalidations (Torres-Harding & Turner, 2015). A racial battle fatigue scale (RBFS) was later developed by Franklin, Smith, and Hung (2014) and quantitatively tested in a college classroom using the RBF framework to assess psychological, physiological, and behavioral stress. The purpose of this study was to use this RBFS to quantitatively measure racial battle fatigue (RBF) for Latinx and African American students enrolled in STEM courses across multiple community college classrooms and campuses. An online questionnaire was administered to 536 students from community colleges in Oregon, Washington, Illinois, and California. The study spanned one term or one semester of an introductory chemistry course intended as a transfer course. Each institution had the same prerequisites, including College Algebra, and similar student learning outcomes. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed to test the four statistical hypotheses of the three research questions of this study. Three dependent variables included the three RBF domain scores of (a) psychological, (b) behavioral, and (c) physiological. Two independent variables were included in the model. The study findings revealed a significance for the race of the student when responding to questions regarding RBF. White students had a significantly lower score than Latinx and Black on the behavioral, physiological, and psychological domains. Black and Latinx did not differ from each other on any of the three domains. Maltese and Tai (2011) asserted that classroom environments play a large role in student retention in STEM. Understood in this context, measuring RBS is a crucial first step to raising consciousness within the community college setting for more retention of Latinx and African American students. The findings of this research will be useful to administrators and faculty when considering how to address microaggressions on their campus and how it impacts students, their health, and sense of belonging as a STEM student. The findings of this research will also help guide instructional pedagogy at PWIs, HSIs, and PBIs regarding group work, especially in STEM courses. Most importantly, the results of this research can help identify, disrupt, and dismantle the racism that marginalizes, subordinates, and excludes students in STEM even within the community college environment. Keywords: racial battle fatigue, critical race theory, STEM, community college, microaggressions, stres

“My Masculinity Is a Little Love Poem to Myself”: Trans*masculine College Students’ Conceptualizations of Masculinities

Men and masculinities studies in higher education are gaining prominence within the literature, illuminating how cisgender men understand and grapple with masculinity on college campuses. Additionally, the increased visibility of trans* students has fueled the expanding scholarship and attention to their experiences, often however centering on White gender-conforming trans* students with little if any focus on their multiple and intersecting identities. This phenomenological study seeks to bridge these two areas of literature, by investigating how trans*masculine students understand, define, and adopt a masculine identity, and how that identity is informed by their various intersecting and salient identities. Dominant masculinities function as thresholds for trans*masculine college students exploring their identity, as they construct multiple trans*masculine pathways

Women Leaders Resolving Conflict in Higher Education: A Feminist Epistemological Perspective

In an American postsecondary context, conflict is inherent (Gianneschi & Yanagiura, 2006; Valian, 1999). Successful navigation of conflict in the academy is vital for those who aspire to leadership positions (Nadler & Nadler, 1987; Walters, Stuhlmacher, & Meyer, 1998). Presently, however, women face significant barriers to achieving success in higher education administration, including gender expectations for conflict resolution behavior (Bartunek, 1992; Bowles, Babcock, & McGinn, 2005; Gayle, Preiss, & Allen, 2002). While a considerable body of literature exists for understanding gender negotiation, it remains rooted in a masculine paradigm (Kolb & Putnam, 2006; Shuter & Turner, 1997), and, as such, established theories lack a feminist epistemological perspective. Consequently, my primary research question is, How do women leaders experience and perceive conflict in the higher education work environment? I conduct a qualitative study that examines workplace conflict experiences of 15 women leaders from diverse personal and professional backgrounds. Hartsock\u27s (1983) three-tiered gender-sensitive analysis of power, updated to include multicultural perspectives, serves as my theoretical framework. It is a lens through which I evaluate theories, finding multicultural organizational, higher education conflict, and gender negotiation theories most applicable to this study. The framework also creates the foundation upon which I build my study. Specifically, I determine that a feminist research method is most relevant to this investigation. To analyze data obtained through in depth interviews, I employ a highly structured form of grounded theory called dimensional analysis. Based on my findings, I co-construct with study participants a Feminist Conflict Process Theory and Flowchart in which initially the nature of the relationship, and subsequently the level of risk to the relationship, institution, or self, is evaluated. This study supports that which is observed in the conflict resolution practitioner literature, but is unique in its observation of factors that influence decisions within a dynamic conflict resolution process. My findings are significant to women who aspire to serve in leadership positions in higher education, as well as to the academy as a whole, for it expands our knowledge of women\u27s ontological and epistemological perspectives on resolving conflict in postsecondary education

Embracing the Role of Educator: The Experiences of Housing and Residence Life Staff in Implementing a Curriculum Model

Since their emergence at colleges and universities, student affairs and housing and residence life (HRL) administrators have continuously evolved their role on campus. Foundational documents challenged administrators to engage in student learning to support institutions’ missions and bridge the gap with academic affairs. The emergence of the Curriculum Model (CM) provides a framework for professionals in HRL to this work. The CM extends learning beyond the classroom and formalizes it by developing learning goals and outcomes, educational strategies, facilitation guides, and learning assessment with rubrics. To effectively implement a CM, practitioners must acknowledge their roles as educators and seek intentional opportunities to build meaningful relationships with students to guide learning. Implementing a CM is a paradigm shift for staff as they complete tasks previously unfamiliar to them. Educators must develop their own internal conception of being an educator and leverage learning partners to build confidence and efficacy in the model. The goal of this case study is to explore experiences of professional live-in educators at one HRL department implementing a CM. Research questions include: 1. How do live-in staff in housing and residence life that implement a Curriculum Model see themselves as educators for students? 2. In what ways are live-in educators in housing and residence life supported through learning partnerships to implement curricular-based learning? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, group observations, and document analysis. Baxter Magolda and King’s (2004) Learning Partnerships Model served as a theoretical framework. Participants drew from internal passions for learning and teaching. They compared their work academic teaching and created scaffolded meaningful learning experiences for students. As educators, they recognized a deeper purpose to their work. The departmental environment created an environment that supported participants through resources, partnerships, and supportive relationships of supervisors and peers. Participants thrived in opportunities to contribute significant adaptations to the curriculum based on their knowledge and expertise. Effective communication supported participant growth, and external challenges inhibited development. Implications may inform (1) practice of HRL departments to create support for professionals acquiring competency in a CM, (2) midlevel supervisors on ways to engage entry-level staff within a curricular approach, and (3) professional and graduate staff in developing strategies to identify learning partners build skills toward work within a curricular framework